With record temperatures in the capital hitting over 30°C this week you will be forgiven for wanting to take refuge anywhere that has their air conditioning cranked up. For me, my local supermarket offered a welcome refuge as I stood in the middle of the milk aisle taking longer than usual to do my shopping as I cooled off from the heat outside.
But when the sun is shining we Brits like to enjoy a drink or meal out on a bar or pub terrace but when it’s simply too hot, then a relaxed long dinner in a nice air conditioned restaurant is a very attractive alternative.
So, with this in mind, I thought I would take a look at 10 London restaurants where you can eat well and stay cool this summer, whether it be a lunch with colleagues or a leisurely dinner with friends or your partner.
One of my favourite restaurants tucked away between Belgravia and Knightsbridge is Pétrus By Gordon Ramsay in Kinnerton Street.
This Michelin-starred upmarket French fine-dining restaurant is a place in which you are made to feel welcome and comfortable in a relaxed and surprisingly informal atmosphere without too many airs and graces.
The cosy circular dining area is intimate, elegant and sophisticated with a large floor to ceiling circular glass wine cellar as a central focal point, housing over a thousand world-class wines with exceptional vintages from the restaurant’s namesake, Chateau Pétrus.
As well as making the most of the lovely weather, you can also take in the wonderful 360-degree panorama views of the city skyline from The Shard at London Bridge. Located up on Level 31 is Aqua Shard, where you can enjoy contemporary British cuisine in full air-conditioned comfort.
Another of my favourite restaurants is Italian seafood restaurant Azzurra on Sloan Street which offers a relaxed and elegant oasis and brings the sun-soaked spirit of the Amalfi Coast to Chelsea but without the unbearable heat. The menu celebrates the best of Italy, using the finest British seafood together with regional Italian oils and salts from Sardinia to Sicily, serving Mediterranean seasonal dishes including handmade pasta and some of the freshest seafood in London and daily specials featuring the morning’s catch.
Also in the same area is the iconic Bluebird Chelsea on the King’s Road with its striking first-floor restaurant and bar. Some of you may well remember this as being Sir Terence Conran’s famed ‘Gastrodrome’. These days however, it serves modern British cuisine, opening for breakfast right through to late-night dining as well as a weekend brunch and Sunday roast. This elegant, air-conditioned restaurant has that quintessential Chelsea vibe.
Located in The Savoy Hotel on the Strand is The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay. The air-conditioned Art Deco dining room which overlooks the River Thames and Victoria Embankment Gardens, has an excellent shellfish and seafood all-day offering as well as an à la carte menu featuring the best of the British coast.
Covent Garden is home to Hong Kong’s acclaimed Dim Sum Library which opened at the end of last year. The menu reimagines classic Cantonese dim sum but with a modern take including dishes like Wagyu beef puff with black pepper, Dan Dan xiao long bao and Black Garlic siu mai. With dark wood finishes, vintage Chinese posters and a cocktail bar that offers a menu of tea-infused cocktails, this is in every sense a very cool restaurant to visit on a hot summer’s day.
The 5-star boutique South Place Hotel in The City has two exceptional restaurants. Angler on the rooftop, which has held its Michelin star for 13 consecutive years, serves sustainably sourced seafood from British waters. And on the ground floor, Bluebird City offers all-day dining in a stylish, fully air-conditioned space that’s ideal for City working lunches or simply a relaxed summer evening dinner.
Also, in the City are two of Gordon Ramsay’s most recent openings housed high up in the fully air-conditioned 22 Bishopsgate, London’s tallest building. Lucky Cat Bishopsgate by Gordon Ramsay opened last year on Level 60 with a spacious 120-seat restaurant and floor to ceiling windows that frame the stunning panoramic views over the capital. And last month Bread Street Kitchen & Bar opened on Level 59, offering an all-day dining experience that features a globally inspired British-European menu, starting with breakfast, cater for the early risers heading into work.
Last and by no means least is Milanese restaurant Vinoteca di Sartoria in the Bloomberg Arcade in Farringdon. The menu offers carefully curated seasonal Italian small plates that complement an exceptional, independently focused wine list, making it the perfect place to visit for after work drinks with colleague or friends to keep cool before heading home at the end of the day.
Author Bio:
Simon Burrell is a UK-based travel and motoring journalist and editor, a former member of The British Guild of Travel Writers and professional photographer.
Photographs courtesy of Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, Azzurra Chelsea and The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay
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